After Mewtwo appeared, even Lance found himself completely overwhelmed.
However, compared to their previous encounter, Lance's strength had improved tremendously.
At the very least—
His Pokémon were no longer being defeated by Mewtwo in a single attack.
In fact, Dragonite, Gyarados, and Charizard had already fought the three cloned Legendary Birds for a long time before Mewtwo entered the battlefield.
Their stamina was nearly exhausted.
Only then did Mewtwo's attack finally bring them down.
Even so—
Lance had only truly lost one Pokémon.
Charizard.
Neither Dragonite nor Gyarados had completely lost their ability to battle.
That alone demonstrated just how much stronger Lance had become.
Unfortunately—
Facing the Three Beasts and their three cloned Legendary Birds, while also dealing with Giovanni's Mewtwo—
Defeat was only natural.
Honestly, even if two additional regional Champions had appeared, they still might not have been able to overcome such a lineup.
What nobody expected, however, was that Lance's trump card—
His reinforcement—
Was not Aiden Flint, the famous Legendary Pokémon Trainer.
Instead—
It was Professor Oak.
The world-renowned Pokémon researcher.
A scholar.
A professor.
What combat ability could someone like him possibly possess?
…
Yet after hearing Lance's cry for help, Professor Oak merely sighed.
"Lance…"
"Didn't I tell you before?"
"These are matters for young people."
"You should have gone to Aiden."
"I'm just a regional Pokémon Professor."
"A mentor for rookie Trainers."
"This kind of work isn't suitable for an old man."
As Oak suddenly appeared on the battlefield, Chakra sneered.
"Old man."
"Tired of living?"
"You dare interfere in a battle of this level?"
"Articuno!"
"Use Ice Beam on him!"
Following Chakra's command, the cloned Articuno spread its wings.
A terrifying beam of ice shot directly toward Professor Oak.
Seeing this, Giovanni simply watched with interest.
The Three Beasts didn't understand.
They were too young.
But Giovanni was different.
As the leader of Team Rocket, he knew very well who Professor Oak truly was.
Decades ago—
Samuel Oak had once been a Trainer whose dream was to become a Pokémon Master.
It was because of him that the first Pokémon League in Kanto had been established.
And he had become Kanto's very first Champion.
Among the Elite Four of that era were Bertha and Blaine.
More importantly—
Back then, Oak's strength had completely surpassed theirs.
Which meant that the least noticeable person on the battlefield was actually Lance's greatest hidden trump card.
This regional Professor was anything but ordinary.
As Kanto's first Champion, his strength was guaranteed to be at least Master-tier.
Just as Articuno's Ice Beam reached him—
Oak casually tossed out a Poké Ball.
"Sigh…"
"Why force me to do this?"
The next moment—
A tremendously powerful Dragonite emerged.
The instant it appeared, it unleashed a blazing Fire Blast.
Boom!
The Fire Blast collided with Ice Beam.
Then—
It completely shattered the attack.
Without slowing down, the flames continued forward and struck Articuno directly.
A miserable cry echoed through the sky.
Articuno crashed from the air.
One attack.
Just one attack.
And the cloned Legendary Bird had been defeated.
The strength displayed by Oak's Dragonite was clearly greater than Lance's own Dragonite.
If Aiden had been present, even he would have been shocked.
No wonder Ash's Pokémon had always grown so quickly whenever they stayed at Professor Oak's laboratory.
The Professor himself was an unbelievably powerful Trainer.
Looking at the Three Beasts, Oak chuckled.
"Little ones."
"When this old man was conquering the Pokémon League…"
"You hadn't even been born yet."
"And this is how you treat your elders?"
After saying that, Oak turned toward Giovanni.
"Giovanni."
"You inherited Team Rocket from your mother."
"Why insist on fighting the Pokémon League?"
"You really are exactly like her."
The moment Giovanni heard those words, his expression darkened.
"Old man."
"I'm giving you face because you helped me in the past."
"But if you keep talking…"
"I'll kill you first."
"Then Lance."
Many years ago, before taking control of Team Rocket, Giovanni had already been a prodigy from Viridian Forest.
He possessed the mysterious Viridian Power.
Because he struggled to control it, he eventually crossed paths with Oak, who was Kanto Champion at the time.
After spending time together, Oak recognized Giovanni's extraordinary talent.
He personally taught him battle strategies and offered countless pieces of guidance.
That was the beginning of the future legend—
Giovanni of the Earth.
The man whose Beedrill alone had once terrified the Pokémon League.
One could say that Professor Oak had done Giovanni a great favor.
Perhaps even qualified as half a mentor.
Meanwhile, Lance and Oak shared a close relationship as fellow Kanto Champions.
Their ace Pokémon were both Dragonite.
Naturally, they got along extremely well.
Oak smiled calmly.
"Giovanni."
"Give this old man some face."
"Let Lance and the others leave today."
"I guarantee that afterward, no matter who lives or dies, I'll stay in my laboratory and never interfere again."
Giovanni fell silent.
A long moment passed.
Finally, he nodded.
"Lance."
"You're lucky."
"For this old man's sake, I'll let you go today."
"But next time…"
"You won't be so fortunate."
Because of Oak's past kindness, Giovanni ultimately chose to grant him that favor.
"Good, good."
Oak nodded with satisfaction.
"I still have Pokémon research waiting for me."
"Oh, and one more thing."
"Try not to create too many of these cloned genetic creatures."
"Otherwise, disaster will eventually follow."
With Oak's protection, Lance and the League forces successfully withdrew.
As they departed, Giovanni's cold voice echoed behind them.
"Lance."
"Apollo, Lance, and Lambda are dead."
"I know exactly who helped you."
"That boy named Aiden Flint."
"He's strong."
"Very strong."
"But you can't rely on him for everything."
"Don't worry."
"From now on, Team Rocket will be at war with the Kanto League, the Hoenn League, and the Sinnoh League."
"Until the very end."
"Just wait."
"You'll see our revenge soon enough."
Lance's expression became increasingly grim.
Professor Oak had long since withdrawn from worldly affairs.
Before launching this operation, Lance had only sought Oak's help because he feared the worst might happen.
Unfortunately—
The old man was like a hidden sage.
A one-time miracle.
Not a permanent solution.
Otherwise, with Oak's strength—
Forget Mewtwo.
Even the cloned Legendary Birds would have been beaten senseless.
But from this moment onward—
Everything changed.
The war between Team Rocket and the Kanto Pokémon League had officially entered a new stage.
A full-scale war.
…
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